Hydraulic steering gear



July 1L 1933.

HYDRAULIC S TEERING GEAR Filed March 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l A. R.KuzELEwsKl 1,917,528

July 11? 1933. A. R. KuzELEwsKl HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR Filed March 25.1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July l11, 1933 PATENT OFFICE ALBERT B.KUZELEVWSIKI, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICANENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF HYDRAULIC STEERING GEARApplication led March 25, 1931. Serial No. 525,310.

This invention relates to improvements in hydraulic mechanism, and moreparticularly in hydraulic steering gears of the type employing amotorcomprising two rams simultaneously actuated by hydraulic pressure inopposite directions.

One object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of the statedcharacter in which unbalanced stresses and strains are reduced to apractical minimum.

Another object of the invention is to pro,

vide an apparatus of the stated character having in itself an inherentstability and which is not dependent upon the foundation structure toprovide this essential characteristic.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of thestated character, characterized by an extreme compactness of form,affording for any given installation a substantial economy in space overthat required for a corresponding prior installation.

The invention further resides in mechanical features and detailshereinafter more fuly described and illustrated in the attacheddrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic plan view of an hydraulicsteering mechanism made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational, partially sectional, view of the motorassembly; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modification withinthe scope of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, 1 and 2 are ams which operate in twopairs of aligned cylinders, 3 4 and 5 6 respectively, the cylinders 3and 4 embracing the opposite ends of the ram 1, and the cylinders 5 and6 the opposite ends of the ram 2. By suitable mechanism, the details ofwhich` form no part of the present invention, fluid pressure is appliedto the cylinders 3, 4, 5 and 6 through suitable )iping 25 and valves 26and 27 to simultaneously actuate the rams 1 and 2 in oppositedirections, and in a desirable installation said Huid pressure ma bedelivered from one or both of a pair o pumps 7 and 8,'which to advantagemay be of the reversible discharge 7 and 8 are individually actuated inthe present instance by'electric motors 9.and 10. The mechanism as awhole further comprises various devices constituting no part of thepresent invention for controlling the operation of the pumps and thepassage of the fluid pressure to the ram cylinders.

My invention has a particular utility in its application to steeringgears, and I have .shown the rams 1 and 2 as connected respectivelythrough rods 11 and`12 with the oppositely projecting arms of a yoke 13Acarried by a rudder post 14. The rods 11 and 12 are pivotally connectedto blocks 15 and 16 respectively, freely adjustable in longitudinalslots 17 in the op ositely projecting arms of the said yoke. ppositemovement of the rams 1 and 2, as described above, accordingly results inan oscillation of the rudder post 14.

It has been customary in apparatus of this type to form the ramcylinders separately and to secure them individually to a base, orfoundation, structure by means of bolts, the aligned pairs of cylindersbeing connected by tie rods. These individual cylinders, or the alignedpairs of cylinders, were inherently unstable and re uired relativel lare foun` sures used in the ram cylinders and the heavy 'loads applied tothe rams, the unbalanced strains and stresses upon the foundationstructure were extremely high, and the structure was necessarily made-heavy and bulk7 in order to adequately withstand the heavy pressures.

By reason of these requirements, the overall bulk of the ram yandcylinder assenbly was relatively great and -was correspondinglyundesirable for use in vessels Where space is at premium. Anotherundesirable feature of the prior construction lay in the fact that theheavy unbalanced strains had a tendency to shear the foundationv bolts.

By the present invention, I take advantage of the simultaneous oppositemovements of the rams 1 and 2 to effect a balanced condition whichlargely eliminates the aforesaid eX- cessive unbalanced stresses andpermits the use of a relatively light foundation structure with aresultant material economy in space. My invention provides an apparatusof the stated character of great colnpactness oft' form andcorrespondingly desirable for use with the steering gears of vessels.

ln accordance with my invention, I may forni each pail` of adjacentcylinders 3 5 and 4--6 in an integral body, preferably forged, see Fig.2, and in assembly may unite the two integral cylinder' bodies inalignment by tie rods 1S passed through lugs 19 at the inner ends of thec \'linde1s. The Cylinder assemblies ma)v be mounted as illustrated inFig. 2, upon a pair of standard I-beams 20, Q0,

-which are inturn suitably secured by bolts to the base structure.

In operation. one cylinder of each integral pairs is under pressure`while the. other c vlinder is being exhausted, and by reason of theintegral constrlu'tion of the c vlinders as described above. thepressures and reactions in one longitudinallyY aligned pair ot'cylinders oppose and balance the pressures and reactions in the otheraligned pair ot' cylilnlers` with the result that the major portion ofthe unbalanced strain placed upon the structure as a whole` andparticularly upon the founda tion. is relieved. The combining of the cylinders in integral bodies as described has the natural effect ofbringing the cylinders of the aligned pairs relatively close together,and the neutralizing or balancing of the strains. as described, furthermakes it feasible to re-. duce the weight and size of the apparatus as awhole and particularly of the supporting umler-structure. The cylinderassembly also is inherently stable which permits a still furtherreduction in size and Weight of the foundation structure. This combinedeffect results in a substantial decrease in the bulk of the ram andcylinder assembly, and as illustrated in Fig. 1, permits the pump andmotor assemblies and the associated mechanism to be located immediatelyadjacent the cylinder assembly within a relatively small space. As

previously set forth, this conservation of space is of vital importancein vessels in which the aforedescribed apparatus is primarily adaptedfor use as a steering mechanism.

In Fig. 3, I vhave illustrated a modification of the construction inwhich the adjacent parallel cylinders are formed separately, but arebolted together through flanges 2l to form what in effect is an integralstructure comprising the two parallel adjacent cylinder bores. There maybe other modifications without departure from the invention.

I claim In an hydraulic steerer, a pair of substantially parallel rams,a Working cylinder operatively associated with each end of each of saidrams, means for applying Huid pressure selectively to the cylinders tosimultaneously 4reactions within the 4ram and cylinder assembly.

ALBERT R. KUZELEWSKI.

